"You could imagine, as I'm about to go shoot the piece -- I understood the fear, " said Balthazar, co-executive producer of the special.

The hour-long special, a collaboration between TV One and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure education-and-research foundation, will air at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Its focus is promoting early detection by dispelling myths and fears that disproportionately discourage African-American women from seeking checkups and treatment.

A few celebrities are included in the story -- actress Diahann Carroll among them -- but "Breast Cancer Examined" is built around the personal stories of regular women who've survived, or are still undergoing treatment for, the disease.

"We learned early on, in reading and talking to people, that there were so many myths and fears in our community, " Balthazar said. "We felt like showing these women, who are dealing with the disease and saying, 'Look, I had fear, but I had to overcome my fear. I have children, a husband. I had to overcome my fear. We can all overcome the fear.'

"What we learned from researchers is that overall, African-American statistics have worsened, and it's a growing epidemic in our community. We're not going to the doctor."

A graduate of Dominican High School and the University of New Orleans, Balthazar has worked as a producer for BET, BBC America and, early on in her career, Cox Communications in New Orleans.

With partner Gina Holland, Balthazar founded the production company Ruby Red Inc., in 2005. The company, which has offices in Los Angeles and New Orleans, produced "Breast Cancer Examined" for TV One. Thanks to the local connection through Balthazar, all of the finishing work on the piece, which was shot in several cities, was done at the Storyville film-and-video post-production house in New Orleans.

There is enough explanatory discussion in the hour to give viewers a baseline understanding of the medical issues involved, but it's not overwhelmingly clinical. That's by design.

"Rather than make this a medical story, we wanted to focus on the personal journeys, " Balthazar said. "The focus of the piece is on the women who are dealing with breast cancer or who are recent survivors.

"We also tried to include whatever we could medically to give the lay person some understanding of some of the terms that may seem intimidating.

"It's a little medical lesson, but it's a lot about what everyday people go through. It's mostly about their triumphs, about how early detection saves lives."

Balthazar said it is atypical for African-American women to share personal health information -- even with loved ones, no less for TV.

"African-American women tend to not want to divulge that part of their lives, " she said. "In our community, it's just not talked about enough."

One African-American woman didn't hesitate to talk when asked.

Carroll -- an iconic figure for being the first African-American actress to star in her own TV series, 1968's "Julia" -- is a breast cancer survivor.

"She immediately responded, 'What can I do? I will tell my story. If this helps one woman, I'm more than happy to do it, ' " Balthazar said.

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TV columnist Dave Walker appears every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday in the Living section. He can be reached at dwalker@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3429. Comment or read past columns and new blogs at NOLA.com/tv.